(AP) Imam Hussein Aqil recently disputed a claim by the pastor of a local Catholic church that a shrouded, ghostly apparition in a wooden wall panel was "Actually the prophet Mohammed, and not Jesus as is claimed."

"Look closely at it...I f you look you can see the holy prophet Mohammed, dressed in white gown, turban and gilded scimitar at his side. This is clearly a sign that Mohammed is returning to earth to deliver his faithful from evil."

Indeed, images of Mohammed are popping up all over the Islamic world, in date fronds, couscous dishes and even on dirty window panes on halal meat shoppes. Legions of faithful have reportedly flocked to see the apparitions, convinced they are a holy sign.

Professor Lothar Von Rasmussen of the Vienna Poly-tech Institute speculates, "The human mind is very attuned and adept and perceiving recognizable figures in a seeming chaos of irregular, disjointed shapes, as is evidenced by the longevity and persistence of the administration and widely recognized validity of the Rorschach Test. In other words, if you really, really want to see something, the brain will search until it finds it. It is not at all surprising that culturally appropriate religious images are the most common in these troubling times, as humanity scrambles for Divine Guidance in face of seemingly intractable adversity."

Imam Aqil begged to differ about the images validity, however, along with a Rastafarian minister claiming it to be the image of Bob Marley in traditional Jamaican hat with dreadlocks, a Mormon claiming it to be Joseph Smith, and a Star Wars groupie insisting it looked "Exactly like Obi Wan Kenobi just before he got zapped into ethereal energy by Darth Vader."0" hei